Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
the BIOS settings to select a boot sequence that starts with A: and then C:
(rather than the normal C: and then A:).
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Once the BIOS boot sequence has been changed, insert the BIOS upgrade
boot disk into the floppy drive and reboot the system.
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During the boot sequence press the F5 key in order to display the DOS
prompt (i.e. A: > ). Then type DIR in order to display the contents of the
newly created BIOS upgrade boot disk. Locate the name of the executable
flash BIOS upgrade program (it will have an EXE file extension) and the
name of the BIOS data file (it will have a BIN file extension).
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Enter the name of the upgrade program (e.g. FLASH.EXE or AWD-
FLASH.EXE). This will prompt you to enter the name of the BIOS upgrade.
When you have entered this name the upgrade process will commence
(ensure that you enter this correctly as the filename can be case sensitive).
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Next you will be asked whether you wish to save a copy of the old BIOS.
You should answer 'Yes' and follow the instructions given.
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At this point, you will be asked whether you wish to 'flash' the BIOS. You
should answer 'Yes' to complete the upgrade. If successful, you will see a
message informing you that the upgrade has been completed without error. If
unsuccessful, an error message will be displayed. Do not attempt to continue
with an upgrade if such a message appears!
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Finally, remove the flash upgrade boot disk and restart the computer. If
necessary, reset the boot sequence so that the system boots first from C: and
then from A:.
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As the system boots note the new BIOS copyright message. If the new BIOS
has been flashed correctly this should display the new BIOS version.
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Next enter the BIOS setup screen once again by hitting the Delete or F2 key.
Then select the option to set the BIOS to its default setting.
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Restart the system and re-enter the BIOS setup screen one more time. Now
enter BIOS settings that you previously noted down or select new settings
as required by the system's current hardware configuration.
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Restart the computer and let it complete the full boot sequence. Check that
the system operates as you would expect. If necessary, BIOS settings can be
changed to improve the system's performance. In exceptional cases you may
find it necessary to revert to the saved BIOS data (using the same procedure
as before).
If you encounter problems while updating the new BIOS do not turn off or
remove power from the system and this may prevent your system from subse-
quently booting up. Instead, you should repeat the process but if the problem
persists, it will be necessary to revert to the original saved BIOS data. You may
also find that you have to clear or reset the CMOS data when you perform a
flash BIOS upgrade (or if you don't have the password required to enter the
BIOS setup program). This task is usually performed by changing the position
of a jumper located close to the CMOS battery. It is also worth noting that some
motherboards have two different sized versions of BIOS data files. The flash
upgrade software will usually report a mismatch in file size by displaying a
message such as 'File size does not match'.
It should go without saying that, when saving an original BIOS data file, it is
important to use a different filename from that of the upgrade BIN data file! I
suggest that you name the original data OLD.BIN or OLDBIOS.BIN. It is also
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